Main Cast: LeVar Burton, Louis Gossett, Jr., Avery Brooks
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 94 minutes
Plot
Deviating from the storyline of Alex Haley's book, and the classic 1977 miniseries that followed, the plotline of 1988's Roots: The Gift finds African-born slave Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) and his plantation friend Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.) helping freed black man Cletus Moyer (Avery Brooks) smuggle runaway slaves to freedom. Roots: The Gift was set during Christmas of 1775 because it was slated for telecast during the Christmas season of 1988 -- December 11, to be exact. This telecast was timed to coincide with the posthumous publication of Alex Haley's book A Different Kind of Christmas, which had nothing whatsoever to do with Roots but did concern itself with runaway slaves at Yuletide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Kevin Hooks - Director, Stanford C. Allen - Editor, Gerald Fried - Composer (Music Score), Beala Neel - Production Designer, John A. Alonzo - Cinematographer, Alex Haley - Book Author
